That Pesky “Living Wage” « Culture

The minimum wage in the United States is $7.25/hour. The minimum wage in the state of Arizona is $10.50/hour. It is one of the highest in the nation. It is a disaster. People deserve a decent living wage. In 2017 58.3% of all workers were paid an hourly wage. Only 542,000 of those workers were paid the federal minimum wage. The profile for those workers was basically under the age of twenty-five, no high school diploma, and so forth and so on. These are the people to whom liberals enjoy pandering. In order to attempt to get their votes (and this bunch doesn’t vote) they are demanding a higher wage. Perhaps they should, instead, demand they clean up their act and finish high school.

People deserve a decent wage. Those paying that wage also deserve a decent hour’s work from that wage. Having spent the past ten months dealing with a higher minimum wage, I think it is a total scam. The problem with a higher minimum wage is it encourages mediocrity and inflation.

A higher minimum wage is an insult to someone who was once making above the minimum wage. Take the ten dollar an hour person who was quite pleased with what they were making. When the minimum wage was eight dollars, ten bucks was good. Suddenly, a viable employee is making the same thing as a useless burger flipper. The valuable employee needs to be making at least fourteen dollars an hour to compensate.

Someone is going to be out of a job, and it will be the useless burger flipper.

The problem is the useless burger flipper factor. Empowered, the useless burger flipper mentality now thinks he is worth fifteen bucks an hour instead of minimum wage. While a disparate employer might be able to justify ten dollars an hour when the minimum wage was eight, fifteen dollars an hour is out of the question. But, hopped up (a very good description of some of these people) on their success, they aren’t happy with fifteen dollars an hour. In order not to be insulted, the guy making fifteen dollars an hour now requires twenty. I may pay for an hour, but forget two and three will be impossible.

There is also an arrogance factor. The same burger flipper is now too good to pull weeds, rake leaves, or cut grass. Forget cleaning a house. As for flipping those burgers, well, companies are going robotic. Floppy the burger flipper costs a minimum of $60K. It can make up to 300 burgers an hour.

Think about it. If a burger joint is open sixteen hours, that’s 2 employees doing 8 hour shifts at a total of $160 a day. The restaurant is open 7 days a week. That’s $1120/week. There are 52 weeks in a year, or $58,240 a year. That doesn’t even count the money an employer must pay for taxes. In other words, it will be cheaper for an employer to rent a robot than hire two people. Two people would be out of a job.

Thank about it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SJ Reidhead (aka The Pink Flamingo) is a writer based in New Mexico. The author of two published novels, both westerns: Dust Devil and The Second Mrs. Earp and two published works of non-fictions: TRAVESTY: Frank Waters Earp Agenda Exposed and A Church for Helldorado, Endicott Peabody's 1882 Tombstone Diary. One of the leading authorities on the life of Wyatt Earp and Tombstone during the Earp years, she is writing a series of murder mysteries set in modern day Tombstone. The author is also working on a book about fashion in the Wild West. When complete, there will be over 2100 unpublished antique photographs dating from 1855-1910.

The author's work has appeared in Wild West, True West, Blogcritics, and The Tombstone Times. Recently the author has had to deal with a father who succumbed to Alzheimer's Disease. This is leading to a book dealing with the frustrations of dealing with the frustrations of the disease, finance, legal, health-care, and things no one bothers telling families about it. A portion of the book will contain entries from a blog she kept, detailing the struggle with her father's AD. She is also working on a murder mystery series set in modern day Tombstone and Cochise County. Several books of essays on Christian living are currently in edits. A book of essays and revisions of articles about Wyatt Earp has been completed and will include her latest work detailing her theory about the murder of his second wife, Mattie.

SJ Reidhead has been involved in Republican politics since she was 'a little kid'. During the Reagan years she was a lobbyist working with various non-profit organizations who were attempting to salvage NASA and the American space program after the disastrous Carter years. In spite of ups and downs, and numerous disappointments, politically, it is obvious the only political hope for this country is via the Republican Party. Along with politics she is an opera fanatic, has been known to stalk baritones to the point of being a baritone junkie, and loves baseball.

The Pink Flamingo went on line on October 4, 2005.

THE PINK FLAMINGO STORY

It started out as a joke. During the seven years I worked with the girls of my parish, leading a youth group, one of the things that I stressed were manners. Part of having manners, the way I see it, is to know how to set a proper table, host a party, cater it, and clean up afterward. I was fortunate enough to have a group of very talented girls in my youth group. They learned how to plan for, and execute large church functions, very properly. During one such function I noticed there were several incredibly tacky pink flamingos sitting on the table. Knowing the girls were up to something, I said nothing. A few months later they did the same thing at a function I was hosting at my home. I said nothing. They had a birthday party for me. More pink flamingos appeared - and a joke was born.

Thanks to the girls, all of whom are now grown, I have a collection of pink flamingos. It has become an ongoing joke. When I began working on my political blog, I realized the only possibly title was The Pink Flamingo!